The USC Symphony Orchestra presents music by three American masters

Americana: The Music of Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington

As American as apple pie, Maestro Portnoy and the USC Symphony Orchestra offer a delightful
slice of American classics, bringing you the music of Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin
and Duke Ellington. Best-loved music of America’s great composers takes place Tuesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts. Maestro Portnoy gives a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. in the Koger's large rehearsal
room.

One of the most celebrated figures in the history of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington
is renowned both as a composer and as a performer. The concert presents a medley of
Ellington’s greatest music from his most creative years with hits like Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear From Me, Sophisticated Lady,
and It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It Ain’t Got That Swing. Also on the concert from the Duke is Harlem. Composed in 1950 it depicts the black experience, celebrating in particular, Ellington’s
adopted home. The first performance of Harlem by the Duke’s jazz band took place at an NAACP benefit concert at the Metropolitan
Opera House in 1951. Ellington described the piece in his autobiography as “a strolling
tour of Harlem on a Sunday morning, from 110th Street up Seventh Avenue, heading north
through the Spanish and West Indian neighborhood toward the 125th Street business
area. Everybody is nicely dressed and on their way to or from church. Everybody is
in a friendly mood – even a real hip chick standing under a street lamp….” For Harlem, Ellington wrote prominent wind and brass solos, requiring great virtuosity from
each. The concluding section of wild but elegant abandon suggests that the day’s tour
has ended up in the Harlem nightclubs.

The musical score of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story is a powerful combination of energy, vibrant Latin American rhythms, jazz elements
and memorable melodies. Symphonic Dances was premiered in 1961 with Lukas Foss conducting the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie
Hall, in a pension fund gala concert. Bernstein had revisited his West Side Story
score, composed in 1957, extracting nine sections and reordering them in a new, uninterrupted
sequence for Symphonic Dances. Two of the most popular songs of the musical were included, Somewhere and Maria.

George Gershwin and friends took a holiday in Havana in 1932 that made an impact on
the composer’s work. Gershwin called the trip, “two hysterical weeks in Cuba where
no sleep was had.” Upon his return, he enthusiastically set out to compose work based
on the music he heard playing in clubs and by roving street bands. Cuban Overture is a symphonic overture that embodies the essence of the Cuban dance with infectious
rhythms. Gershwin was particularly taken with Cuban percussion instruments and brought
back four of them featured in full force – claves, bongo, guiro and maracas – placing
them right in front of the conductor’s stand. First titled Rumba, it premiered in 1932 at the first all-Gershwin concert at New York’s Lewisohn Stadium
for a cheering crowd of 18,000 people, with a reported 5,000 turned away. “It was,”
Gershwin later said, “the most exciting night I have ever had.”

About the USC Symphony Orchestra

The University of South Carolina’s premier orchestra ensemble, led by acclaimed music
director Donald Portnoy, receives accolades for its fine performances. World-renowned
guest artists join the ensemble throughout the year to bring you a stirring seven-concert
season with music by the most dynamic composers. See the season.